New Baker!

Hi folks!
I'm a new subscriber to the Digest coming to you from Lajes
Field, Azores, Portugal. My interest in breadmaking was piqued
while I was in the Philippines. My housegirl there would make
three or four loaves of bread a week, and I'd sit down and eat
one as soon as it cooled enough! The aroma, the texture, the
taste! How could someone not want fresh baked bread in their
life???
There's a special type of bread here in the Azores which is
nicknamed "popsic". I know the actual Portuguese word is longer
and this is just slang, and I promise to fill you in as I
investigate. I'm not sure if a recipe is possible because it
is almost exclusively made in commercial bakeries (as far as
I know.) Now, I know your interest just waned. Trust me, this
is better than just another loaf of average bread. There is
a chewy texture that is fairly unique. (The only international
bread I'd tout this way is Germany's Brotchen rolls...)
Sorry to be so long winded. I'll keep it shorter and to the
point in the future.
Paul J. Berens
berensp@lajes-email.af.mil